Caitlin on "stage"

 

Daniel running the controls for the "stage"

 

The "controls" - they also had light controllers.

 

The water feature - which we wisely did LAST.

 

Caitlin in the dino-dig

 

Daniel going down a fireman's pole for the first time ever (on his own)

 

 

 

The play structure on the roof - it's HUGE! It's made for adults and children so I can climb up there with them.

 

The "dino-dig" - rubber chips covering dinosaur bones.

 

The sound section - lots of instruments to bang on.

 

The car - Caitlin loved - and Daniel loved the map that's in the back ground.

 

 

These first 2 are the view from the top of the building - pretty!!!

 

BIG OL' CHECKERS BOARD

 

Rock climbing - Daniel loved it.

 

Caitlin with ehr "pouch" on (tool belt). We worked in the construction room for a while, and Caitlin loved putting things into her pouch.

 

Caitlin on the tractor in the "farm".

 

Daniel LOVED this one, too. You turned the knob to the right and the balls (eggs) went up the chain and came out through the chicken at the top. The tubular pieces are modular and magnetic. You can control the path the eggs take coming out of the chicken. This was another big hit - Daniel stayed there a really long time.

 

Caitlin worked hard yesterday and today putting these milk bottles into numerical order.

 

Daniel LOVED this. There were balls and you shot them up like a pin ball, but then you could move the pieces to control where they went and how they came down. He played this for a LONG Time.

 

Caitlin - what a cutie.

 

My clay turtle...yes, I made it all by myself.

 

Daniel's clay fish - didn't he do a great job? He put a thing hanging down like the fish in Finding Nemo.

 

This is a room with a bunch of racket balls (sp?) and 7 tracks - 3 along the wall, and 2 in each of the "boats". You can see Daniel by one of the "boats", and Caitlin at the top of the 3 tracks that go along the wall. There are also giant lincoln logs in this room to build with.

 

They have a train room with a model train for the kids to climb in and blow the horn, and then a big train area with Thomas-like train tracks.

 

Who says city kids never milk a cow? This is Daniel & Caitlin milking a cow.

 

This is Caitlin and Daniel showing off our creations in one of the rooms.

This morning

 

 

Isn't Caitlin's hair lovely? It starts out looking like this....then the day happens. Oh, well. Kenneth wanted his picture taken, too, even though he was going to be at school today and not with us at the Discovery Museum.

Baseball Fun

 

 

Woo hoo!

It's April 16th. That's a happy thing. I took Daniel & Caitlin to the children's discovery museum here this morning. They had a GREAT time, so I bought a pass so we can go back on a regular basis. They are at JUST the RIGHT ages for that. Daniel could build something in every room. It's not enormous and parking is less than ideal, but we'll just go first thing when they open, and I'm sure we'll get our money's worth. I didn't take my camera, but I promised them we'd go back tomorrow and pack a lunch so we could play all morning long. I'll take my camera tomorrow.

News from the weekend...2 things:

1) We had crab on Saturday night. We bought them LIVE. One of them was 3.04 lbs! The other 2 were about 2.35 lbs or so. That was a LOT of crab. We boiled them ourselves (thanks to my bday present from Ang), and everyone ate until we couldn't eat any more. Steve and I have never had to stop eating crab because we were FULL! It was amazing. I wish I'd taken some pictures. Next time...

2) When I went to buy the crab they were having a once a year halibut sale. You purchase a halibut (entire fish) for $6.99/lb. and tell them whether you want it in filets or steaks and they cut it for you and package it for you and you bring it home...bones/head and all. (Apparently people around here either compost the bones or use them for a broth to make chowder out of...ours are in the freezer until we figure out what to do with them). We bought one that was 15+ pounds and now we've got a freezer full of halibut. We're trying it out for the first time tonight...so we'll let you know how it is. Hopefully it was worth it! We figured...when in Seattle, do as the Seattlites - right?

The weather was beautiful on Saturday and we seized the day and worked in the yard all day. I got all my flowers (that I started inside as seeds) planted, and Steve built me a trellis for my peas and some climbing flowers. I'll have to post a picture once we get the string all strung on it. It got up to 82 degrees...downright hot! :) Sunday it was back to rain, but before it started...we went on an adventure. We went for the same walk I took with the kids during Spring Break to the hidden park. Daniel and Kenneth rode their bikes, and Steve brought Tasha - so we were all together. We had a great time. Steve played a little catch with Kenneth, and Caitlin and Daniel and I played on the playscape. We didn't bring a watch or a phone - we just enjoyed the time together. It was a wonderful way to enjoy not having church until 1pm.

Monday night we went to the Mariners vs. Kansas City baseball game. It was so FUN!!! Of course, we LOVE to cheer for John Buck! We were 25 rows back - right behind the catcher. Unfortunately, he said he couldn't hear me cheering - but I assure you - I cheered with the best of them. I'm sure the people around me knew who I was cheering for! :) We went in our KC garb and we got heckled on the elevator! We got to meet one of Brooke's cousins (on her mom's side) and we all went to Denny's after the game. It was wonderful as always.

So - despite my deadline, our life here has continued. I've got lots of unpacking to do now - and laundry and housework to catch up on (it would help if I could REMEMBER where I packed the Vacuum bags!). But - this weekend we're heading to the Spring Fair! (See www.thefair.com) We're going with some of Steve's family - it will be lots of fun! We're even going to the demolition derby on Saturday night. We're looking forward to a fun weekend. I promise I'll try to remember to bring the camera!

Back to the grind

I went to Vegas last weekend for the services for my friend. They were lovely. I'm so glad I went. I'm glad I was able to help. The weather was so beautiful in Vegas, it reminded me why I loved living there in the winter. When I landed in Seattle it was 41 degrees. Brrrrrrrrr. I spent Monday grocery shopping and catching up with my kids...and I went to bed early. Tuesday I hit the ground running with work and laundry. I had a small set back with my heart, and ended up going to the doctor that afternoon. Everything seems to be OK now, and I'm plugging away. I'm looking forward to life after the 15th. :)

Sadness

I don't even know how to say this except to say that the cycle of life is weighing heavily upon me these days. Monday a friend from high school passed away. Yesterday, a dear friend in Las Vegas passed away. I am shocked and saddened by the news. It makes me contemplate just how fragile mortality is. It makes me reflect on my beliefs and my faith. It causes me to analyze my own life - were it to end tomorrow, have I been the person I wanted to be? Have I done what I was sent to do? I'd have to answer this question with a no. I'm comforted that my dear friend could answer this question with a yes. He was kind, compassionate, energetic, unselfish, and giving. He was a fantastic father and husband. A huge hole is left where he was. My heart aches for his sweet family. I wish I were still close and could drop in on those empty days to come. I will be making a trip back to Las Vegas this weekend, and another one in a month or 2. I yearn to know what to say, but there isn't anything to say, but hearts can communicate volumes. This life is about learning, growing, and improving day by day. I have a long way to go. Many thanks to those who have entertwined their lives with mine to teach me and help me improve. I'll miss you dearly, my friend.

Adventure

It's spring break for Kenneth this week, and it's sunny today, so we went on an adventure....with our legs, a stroller, and 2 bikes. 3 hours later we got home. We found a park, and a playfield, and a beautiful path by a stream. I think we walked about 2.5 miles or so. Kenneth's bike mal-functioned for a while (he says it's because I rode it, maybe it was), but it seems to be better now. We enjoyed our beautiful area and heard lots of birds (including a wood-pecker). We saw lots of "popcorn" trees...they're very fragrant. We didn't get stuck in a storm, and it didn't get too cold on us. YEA! It's about 55 degrees outside today.

Winter Wonderland

 

I guess you can tell I've been sitting at my computer all day. So many posts....

Anyway, this is the view out my front door right now. Angela...I can't believe I left the sunshine for this! :)

The TV

 

 

This is for Les.

Pinewood Derby - Part II

I know you've all checked my blog many times last night and this morning because you're dying to know how Kenneth's car did in the Pinewood Derby last night. I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting. While he did not place in the top 3, we are fairly confident he was #4 or #5 out of 12 cars. His car raced well, and in our humble opinion, it was the best lookin' one there. Of course, it would be good if I had TAKEN my camera with me so you could see some of the other fine cars, but alas, I forgot. :( So, the only car that goes down in history for us is Kenneth's.

Note: This morning there was a pinewood derby track constructed in our hallway upstairs. It's made out of a wood board and multiple books so that the car can race down the hallway. We had a great time last night and the whole family cheered for Kenneth's car. We celebrated with chocolate cake when we got home (I told him win or lose we were going to celebrate!). So, all in all, it was a successful evening.

Also: Between the Pinewood Derby and chocolcate cake we bought a new TV. 40" LCD, baby. It's SWEEEEEEEEEEEEET. We are no longer TV-less, and, the kids are VERY happy about having Dora and Diego re-enter their lives after their 3 week hiatus. (Erin, you have NO IDEA how many times they've watched those cartoon DVD's you gave them...they're the only reason I'm still sane...thanks again!)

Landlady trouble, yummy bread

Well, I'll spare you the details, but today marked "Round 3" with our landlady. I'm hoping I came out the winner. Time will tell. Steve is feeling bad, but despite the landlady trouble, I still love the house and the neighborhood and we're settling in OK overall. We're looking forward to a fun weekend of ferry boat rides and a wonderful crab dinner and some beautiful scenery. Just think....people come here to vacation, right? Today I made my first Washington batch of wheat bread (I have to start making a dent in that 400 pounds I bought, right?) and I also made a batch of french bread to go with the homemade soup I made for dinner. So, I guess the house is "homey" tonight even if it is full of boxes, eh?

Pinewood Derby

 

 

Tomorrow night is Kenneth's first Pinewood derby race. He weighed his car tonight...5 oz exactly. I think it looks pretty cool...we'll let you know tomorrow how it races.

Easter Sunday

 

 

 

 

We don't do "matching", but I think they were a pretty good lookin' bunch...and there was HUNTING required for our indoor Easter Egg hunt due to the numerous boxes still around our house! :) Those are pieces of the trampoline that they're holding up.